A typical home in each town, bought with 20% down at 6.3% for 30 years, plus property tax at the town’s own rate and insurance. Change the numbers to fit you.

Down paymentRate%

Downey$5,100/mo

Typical home $879K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.67% · or rent about $1,937/mo · Housing →

Norwalk$4,400/mo

Typical home $757K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.69% · or rent about $2,090/mo · Housing →

The difference: $700 a month, about $8,400 a year, between Downey and Norwalk.

Estimates, not a quote: your price, rate, tax bill and insurance will differ. Tax rate = the Census median tax bill over the median home value.

Where they are

Downey and Norwalk share a border

And the people who already live in one and work in the other.

DowneyNorwalk

Downey ↔ Norwalk3.4 miles apart · They share a border

Who commutes between them

1,100 Norwalk residents work in Downey (2.5% of its workers)

698 Downey residents work in Norwalk (1.4% of its workers)

Work & commute in Norwalk →

Report cards

Downey places higher on 11 of 20 CA lists

Our letter grades for safety, schools and health, then every California ranking list both towns are on. A grade is one measure; read the page behind it.

Safety

–DowneyNot graded C−NorwalkSafer than 24% of U.S. towns

Schools

A−DowneyBetter than 76% of districts in the state A−NorwalkBetter than 75% of districts in the state

Health

BDowneyHealthier than 61% of U.S. towns B−NorwalkHealthier than 55% of U.S. towns

11Downey

8Norwalk

Lists won, of 20 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Most new homesHousing · 438 towns #275#419 Most trailsOutdoors · 677 towns #381#584 Fastest growingGrowth · 816 towns #530#712 Closest to a top hospitalHealth · 844 towns #3#177 Most conserved landOutdoors · 777 towns #386#508 Lowest property taxCost of living · 835 towns #513#398 Most affordableCost of living · 835 towns #534#427 Fewest smokersHealth · 844 towns #235#329

Left end = #1 in California. Showing the lists where the towns are furthest apart. All of Downey’s rankings →

Life in each

What daily life feels like in each

The weather, the land, the history and the people, row by row. None of it is a grade: more snow is a plus to a skier.

Seasons

DowneyNorwalk

Snow a year0″0″

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)83rd 90th

Outdoors & history

DowneyNorwalk

Trails13 mi 4 mi

Conserved land4.4%2.5%

Settled1873 1957

National Register places2 2

Archive photos24 17

Famous people born here64 —

Community

DowneyNorwalk

Library hours a week54 hrs 40 hrs

Colleges in town—1

Posts this month0 0

Neighbors joined0 1

A dot marks the most on each row. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station. Hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, expected yearly damage vs U.S. towns.

Everything, side by side

What matters to you?

Pick a few. Those rows jump to the top and the best fit on each is marked. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

Only big differences vs California average

DowneyNorwalk

People

Population 110,939Highest 99,789Lowest

Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +2.3%Highest CA: +6.1% -2.6%Lowest CA: +6.1%

Median age 37.7±1.2Highest about the CA average 37.3±0.9Lowest about the CA average

Downey and Norwalk are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Kids under 18 21.3%±1.2Lowest CA: 22% 21.7%±1.2Highest CA: 22%

Norwalk and Downey are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Age 65+ 14.2%±0.9Lowest CA: 15.7% 14.4%±0.9Highest CA: 15.7%

Norwalk and Downey are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 26.1%Highest CA: 37.1% 21.3%Lowest CA: 37.1%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 8.3%±0.7Highest CA: 7.6% 7.9%±0.7Lowest CA: 7.6%

Downey and Norwalk are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $90,699±$4kLowest 8% below CA $100,085±$5kHighest about the CA average

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $796,600±$15kHighest 8% above CA $644,700±$8kLowest 12% below CA

Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,937±$41Lowest 5% below CA $2,090±$57Highest about the CA average

Property taxmedian, yearly $5,323Highest 4% above CA $4,424Lowest 14% below CA

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 57.9%±4.2Highest CA: 55.3% 57%±4.8Lowest CA: 55.3%

Downey and Norwalk are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Below poverty line 9%Lowest CA: 12% 9.3%Highest CA: 12%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 51.1%Lowest CA: 55.9% 68.3%Highest CA: 55.9%

Typical home builtmedian year 1959Highest 17 yrs older than CA 1957Lowest 19 yrs older than CA

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 31 minHighest 8% above CA 30 minLowest about the CA average

Work from home 9.2%±1.1Highest CA: 17.2% 7.9%±0.9Lowest CA: 17.2%

Downey and Norwalk are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Work in townworking residents 8.7%Highest 5.7%Lowest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 10.8 miLowest 11.8 miHighest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.88Highest 0.53Lowest

Top workplaceoutside town Los Angeles (22%)Los Angeles (15%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others 1% work in Norwalk2% work in Downey

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 4.4%Highest 2.5%Lowest

Trailsmapped miles 12.6 miHighest 3.7 miLowest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 1.0 miHighest 0.4 miLowest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 13 13

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 129Lowest 167Highest

Schools

Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading —#218 of 574 in CA

School district Los Angeles County ROP · Downey UnifiedLittle Lake City Elementary · Norwalk-La Mirada Unified

High school in town Downey HighNorwalk High

Students per teacherat that high school 23.9Highest 23.8Lowest

California average“±” Census margin of errorACS 2020–2024

Deciding?

Ask the people who live there

The numbers stop at the town line. Neighbors can tell you about the commute at 7am, the schools, the winters and the feel of the place.

Downey neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Downey’s Town Square.

Norwalk neighborsTown Square →

T Weaver · 5d

Norwalk's Bright Young Leaders

1 neighbor in Norwalk can answer.

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Bordering Downey

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Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2010 & 2020 censuses, LEHD commute flows; Zillow Home Value Index; NCES Common Core of Data; FBI crime reporting; CDC PLACES; FEMA National Risk Index; NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. “±” is the Census margin of error; differences inside it are never called. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. There is no overall score: which town is better depends on what matters to you.

Downey vs Norwalk

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they part ways

A typical home costs $700 more a month in Downey

Downey and Norwalk share a border

Downey places higher on 11 of 20 CA lists

What daily life feels like in each

What matters to you?

Ask the people who live there

Norwalk's Bright Young Leaders

Set another town beside Downey and Norwalk

Bordering Downey

Towns like Downey

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